# C o u rt o f

A p p ea ls

o f t h e S t a te o f

G eo rg ia

ATLANTA,_

_ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

Th e Co u rt

o f Ap p ea l s h er eb y p a s s es t h e f

o ll owi n g o r der :

A1 8 A0 84 5 . MI CHAEL W OODRUFF v . ROBYN W OODRUFF.

Ro b y n W o o d ru ff fi l ed a p et i t io n fo r co n t em p t ag ai n st M i ch ael W o od ru ff in

t h ei r d i v o rce act i o n

. 1 In an o rd er en t ered o n M ay 3 0

, 2 0 1 7

, t h e t ri al co u rt fo u n d t h at

M i ch ael had l i q u i dat ed m ari t al ret i rem en t acco u n t s i n v i ol at i o n o f OCGA § 1 9 -5 -7

,

b u t res erv ed res ol ut i o n o f th e i s s u e of wh et her h i s vi o l at i o n co n st i tu t ed co n t em p t

. In

t h e s am e o rd er, t h e t ri al co u rt al s o fo u n d t h at M ich ael h ad wi l l fu l l y fai l ed t o fo l l o w

t h e co urt ’ s o rd ers

, s t ru ck h i s p l ead i n g s u n d er OC GA § 9

- 1 1 -3 7 (b ) (2 ) (C), an d

p erm i t t ed h i s co u n sel to wi t h d raw. On J u n e 2 9

, 2 0 1 7

, Mi ch ael

, p ro ceed i n g p ro s e,

fi led i n t he t ri al co u rt a m o t i o n fo r an ex t en s io n o f t i m e to ap peal

. It ap pears t h at t h e

t ri al co u rt co n s t ru ed th e m o t i on as a n o t i ce o f ap peal

, s i n ce t h e reco rd w as fo rward ed

t o t h e Su p rem e Co u rt an d

, o n Sep t em b er 2 0

, 2 01 7

, t h e cas e was d o ck et ed as a d i rect

ap p eal

. Th e Su p rem e Co u rt

, h owev er, t ran s ferred t h e cas e t o t h i s Co u rt

. See Cas e No

.

S1 8 A0 20 9 (t ran s ferred O c t o b er 1 1

, 2 0 1 7). Pret erm i t ti n g wh et h er t h e t ri al co u rt

p ro p erl y co n s t ru ed M i ch ael ’ s m o t io n as a n o t i ce o f ap p eal , we l ack ju ri s d i ct i o n

.

“ Gen eral ly

, an o rd er i s fi n al an d ap peal ab l e wh en it l eav es n o i s su es rem ai n i n g

t o b e res o l v ed

, co n s t i t u t es t h e co u rt ’ s fi n a l r u l i n g o n th e m eri t s of t he act i o n

, an d

l e a v e s th e p art i es wi t h no fu rt h er reco u rs e i n t h e t ri al co u rt .” Th o ma s v. Do u g l a s

1 Th es e p art i es h av e ap p eared b efo re t h i s Co u rt p rev io u s ly

. In Jan u ary 2 0 1 7,

M i ch ael fi led i n t h e S u p r e m e Co u rt an em erg en cy m ot i o n seek i n g an ex ten s i o n o f

t i m e t o fi l e an ap p eal fro m an o rd er en t ered o n Decem b er 6, 20 1 6

. Th e cas e was

t ran s ferred t o t h i s Co u rt

, w h ich d en i ed t h e m o t i o n

, an d n o ap p eal was fi l e d a t t h at

t i m e. See Cas e No

. S1 7 T 0 8 8 8 (t ran s ferred J an ua r y 1 2

, 20 1 7) an d Cas e No

. A1 7 E0 03 3 (d en i ed J an u ary 3 1 , 2 0 1 7 ). December 19, 2017Co u n t

y

, 2 1 7 Ga. Ap p

. 5 20

, 52 2 (1 ) (4 5 7 SE2 d 8 3 5 ) (1 9 9 5 ). Here, t h e t ri al co u rt

res erv ed res o l u t i o n o f wh e t h e r M i ch ael was in co nt em p t

, w h i ch l eav es t h e cas e

p en di n g b el o w. T h u s

, i n o rd er t o ap peal

, M i ch ael was req u i red t o fo l l o w t h e

i n t erl o cu t o ry ap p eal p ro ced u res s et fo rt h i n OCGA § 5 -6 -3 4 (b ), i n cl u d i n g o b t ai n i n g

a c e r t i f icat e o f im

m ed i at e rev i ew wi t h i n t en day s o f t h e o rd er t o b e ap p eal ed a n d

f i li n g an ap p l i cat io n t o ap p eal wi t h i n t en d ay s aft er t he cert i fi cat e was i s s u e d

. H i s

fai l u re t o d o s o h ere d ep ri v es t h i s Co u rt o f ju ri sd i ct i o n

. 2 See Is l a mkh a n v. Kh a n

, 2 9 9

Ga. 5 48

, 5 51 (2 ) (7 8 7 SE2 d 7 3 1 ) (2 0 1 6 ); Ei d s o n v. Cr ou t ch

, 3 3 7 Ga. Ap p

. 5 4 2

, 5 4 3

(7 8 8 SE2 d 1 2 9 ) (2 0 1 6 ). Acco rd i n g l y , t h is ap p eal i s d i s m i s sed

. 3

C o u r t o f A p p e a l s o f t h e S t a t e o

f G e o r g ia

C le r k ’ s O f f i c e

, A t la n t a

,

_

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I c e r ti fy t h a t t h e a b o v e is a tr u e e x t r a c t f r o m

t h e m i n u t e s o

f t h e C o u r t o

f A p p e a l s o f G e o r g i a

. W i tn e s s m y s i g n a t u r e a n d t h e s e a l o

f s a i d c o u r t

h e r e t o a f f i x e d t h e d a y a n d y e a r l a s t a b o v e w r i t t e n

.

, C l e r k

.

2 On J u l y 1 0, t h e t ri al co u rt i s s u ed a cert i fi cat e o f i m m ed i at e rev iew reg ard i n g

a d ifferen t o rd er, i n wh i ch t h e co u rt d en ied M i c h a e l ’s fo u rt h an d fi ft h m o t i o n s to

recu s e. Bu t t h i s cert i fi cat e w as n o t t i m el y as to t he May 3 0 o rd er, an d n o ap p l i cat i o n

was fi l ed i n t he Su p rem e Co u rt (o r t h i s Co u rt ) wi th i n t en d ay s o f t h e i s s u an ce o f t h e

cert ifi cat e. See OCGA § 5 -6 -3 4 (b ).

3 Ro b y n h as fi l ed a m ot i o n fo r s an ct i o n s i n th e am o u nt o f $2 ,5 0 0

. See Co u rt o f

Ap p eal s Ru l e 7 (e) (2 ). Her m o t i o n i s d en i ed

. 12/19/2017